Super Mario Party Ideas

Quick! Name any video game character – if you thought of Mario, you’re not alone (of course, reading about “Super Mario Party Ideas” probably put him in your head, huh?). The point is, Mario is probably the most famous gaming icon ever, and from his appearances in the original Donkey Kong to the latest Smash Bros., he still appeals to fans of all ages.

If you and your child love Mario, then keep reading to explore our Mario birthday party ideas! Tons of DIY birthday ideas and styling tips are here to help you plan the perfect party.

D.I.Y. Super Mario Party Room Décor

What better way to bring Mario to the party than by recreating the game right on your living room wall? Giant wall decals are only the beginning – here’s how to build a scene that looks like it came right out of a Nintendo 3DS or Wii-U.

Begin by placing the Mario decals on your wall to create a scene. Five brick blocks, three gold coins, a question block, and Mario himself are all included in the pack. They’re all totally removable, too, so don’t worry if it doesn’t look quite right the first time around – you can always make adjustments (and save the decals for later, too!).

Gold plates make perfect real-life gold coins. Suspend some from the ceiling with thread or clear fishing line (not included in kit). You can even make a party game out of it by writing a party favor or special treat on each coin, and having each child try to grab one! (Bonus points for making the Mario jump sound effects.)

To make the blossoming cluster of colorful balloons, you’ll need a large Styrofoam circle (about 4 inches diameter should do) and length of plastic pipe to create the base (not included in kit). An empty cardboard wrapping paper tube will work too. You can even use of couple of broomsticks or dowels in a pinch. Insert the tube or pipe into the center of the circle so that it stands upright.

Next, cover your base with blue and white crepe paper in a swirling or striped pattern. For each balloon cluster you want to make, you’ll need a total of 20 regular party balloons and one Mario foil balloon. Colors and patterns are up to you (we used solid red, yellow, blue, and green ones), but here’s how to set them up:

Inflate four balloons with air (not helium). Tape or tie them in a circle to the base of the pipe or tube. This creates the first layer of balloons.

Repeat that step four more times. Two additional layers will go right on top of the first, and two layers will right at the top of the whole thing.

Finish your decoration by inflating a foil balloon with air and placing it on top.

Simply stick one of the fake mustaches to a straw, a couple inches from the top. Sips of juice now result in a table full of mini Mario lookalikes!

As an optional step, you can add a piece of plain paper or Scotch tape to the back of the mustache. This way, you can cover up the excess adhesive parts of the mustache that aren’t already covered by the straw, to keep it from sticking to things all over the place. Or, use a little bit of hot glue to attach the mustache – backing and all – to the straw. Then, after the straw has served its purpose, the kids can still peel off and have fun with their fake mustache!

Not only is this a fun way to make some easy DIY decorations (that the kids can help with, too), but it also makes for some cute photo ops! Add some Luigi and Mario hats for the full effect.

First, inflate all of the cloud balloons with air and tie them off. Cut some foot-long lengths of curling ribbon and tie one to the knot of each balloon.

Then, form the cloud cluster. You can do this by either knotting all of the balloon ribbons together first, or by taping each ribbon to the wall individually, styling and adjusting the look of the decoration as you go.

Once your balloon decoration is in place, add the finishing touch by handing a red pennant banner underneath!

Start by inflating a few packages (we used seven, but feel free to adjust according to the size of your space) of blue balloons. If you have an air compressor or a pump (bicycle pumps and sports ball pumps work great), we recommend it – your lungs might get a little tired if you try to blow them all up yourself!

We used 42 blue balloons in total, and taped them to the wall in six rough rows of seven. We say “rough,” because you’ll want to leave a couple gaps for clouds. Fluff up the tissue puffs and fit them into place on your wall, using tape to secure.

Mario Birthday Ideas, styled by Amanda Auer

Guest stylist Amanda Auer of In the Now Weddings and Events took our Super Mario Bros. product and dazzled us with ideas for decor, games and activities, and displays for food and favors. Her colorful scheme cleverly reflected the fun and energy of the popular game and proved easy enough for any host or hostess to replicate.

Menus and Recipes

A backdrop of blue streamers and a cardboard Mario standup help bring this “Power Up” food table to life. Our easy three-step menu looks great displayed on creative stands and risers composed of favor boxes, cups, trays, buckets, and gift-wrapped boxes. The addition of luxe table linens elevates the entire scene.

CAKE + ICE CREAM + DRINK

The foundation of any birthday menu is cake, ice cream, and drinks, and that is all you should feel obligated to serve as long as your shindig doesn’t fall during a customary meal hour. To that end, plain, store-bought cupcakes are easy to get into the spirit!

If you want or need to serve lunch, add our easy meal option. Mini sandwiches look great when creatively presented, and a display of fresh fruit — we sliced strawberries then added pre-cut chunks of pineapple and melon purchased from a grocery store — rounds out the meal.

+ SNACKS

We have plenty of snack options with which to round out the menu, plus awesome DIY “Question Box” lamps that literally light up the table. See below for snack suggestions!

Invitations

Need to send your invitations as quickly as possible? The pixelated Evite invitation below is an awesome option for a gaming-themed party.

So, what did you think of our Mario party supplies and DIY party ideas? If you want to see more posts like this one in the future, let us know what kind of ideas and party themes we should come up with next! Find us on Facebook and Twitter to share your thoughts, and follow us on Pinterest for even more awesome party ideas for kids.